State rules

Can you sell backyard eggs in Alabama?

Yes. Alabama's egg law doesn't apply to producers who sell only their own hens' eggs, so no state egg permit is needed. At farmers' markets, the state asks for labeled, refrigerated eggs.

Read from 9 official sources22 passages quotedChecked October 6, 2026

At a glance

License

Not needed

Small-flock line

No number: own hens' eggs only

Farmers markets

With conditions

Cartons

Not stated

In plain English

Alabama sets no flock-size line. Its egg law (Code of Ala. Title 2, Chapter 12) does not apply to a producer who sells only eggs of their own hens' production and buys in no eggs from anyone else, so such a producer needs no state egg permit and is outside the law's grading and carton-label rules (a producer may opt in by taking a permit). Anyone else who sells eggs is a dealer: retail dealers need a free permit and wholesale dealers a $5 annual permit, and their cartons carry the packer's name and address, the grade and weight class, and the grading date. The Department of Agriculture's market guidance agrees that on-farm sales are outside the law, but for farmers' markets it asks for a label with the packer's name and address, pack date and grade, refrigeration at 45° or below, clean eggs and containers, and eggs that meet USDA grades and weight classes.

A sourced reading of Alabama's rules, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) (1-800-642-7761) before you sell.

Do you need a license?

No license or registration for small direct salesNo number: own hens' eggs only
  • Sell only eggs of your own hens' production.Code of Ala. § 2-12-1(9), § 2-12-6(1)
  • Do not sell eggs received or purchased from other sources.Code of Ala. § 2-12-6(1)
  • A producer may instead elect to come under the egg law by applying for and securing a permit.Code of Ala. §§ 2-12-4, 2-12-6(1)
  • The egg law covers eggs of a domesticated chicken hen in the shell; eggs of other birds are not covered by it.Code of Ala. § 2-12-1(3)
  • At farmers markets, ADAI asks for a label with the egg packer's name and address, the date packed and the grade; eggs refrigerated at or below 45°; eggs and containers sanitized and free from fecal matter; and eggs that meet USDA grading and weight classes.ADAI Direct Market Guidelines
  • Outside the exemption, every dealer needs a permit (free for retail dealers, $5 a year for wholesale dealers) and cartons labeled with the packer's name and address, grade and weight class, and grading date.Code of Ala. §§ 2-12-2, 2-12-4
The exact wording
“The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to: (1) Producers who sell eggs of their own hens’ production and who do not sell eggs received or purchased from other sources, unless such a producer elects to come under this chapter by applying for and securing a permit as provided in Section 2-12-4;”

Where you can sell

From home or the farm

Allowed

A producer selling only their own hens' eggs is outside the egg law (§ 2-12-6), and ADAI says egg sales that take place on the farm are not subject to the Alabama Shell Egg Law. No state egg permit, grading or label rule applies on the farm.

Farmers markets

With conditions

ADAI's Farmers Market Authority treats eggs as agricultural commodities that may be sold at farmers markets with proper labeling: packer name and address, pack date and grade, refrigerated at or below 45°, clean eggs and containers, and USDA grades and weight classes. No egg permit is named. Alabama Cooperative Extension also describes a free Alabama growers permit, issued at county Extension offices, that markets may ask to see; check with the market manager.

Stores and restaurants

Not stated

The statute exempts producers selling only their own eggs, with no limit on who buys them. But ADAI's wholesale permit form says anyone selling eggs to a retailer is a wholesaler needing a $5 Wholesale Egg Dealer's Permit, and stores and restaurants follow the Department of Public Health's food rules (the FDA Food Code), which require food from approved sources. Whether a small, unpermitted producer counts as one was not stated in the sources read. ADAI's market FAQ also says restaurants may buy only whole fruits and vegetables at a farmers market.

Also check with: ADAI Food Safety Section (1-800-642-7761) and your county health department, before selling to stores or restaurants

Cartons, labels and handling

Cartons

The sources we read don't set a carton rule.

“Carton or egg container and egg product itself must be sanitized and free from fecal matter and other farm filth.”

Refrigeration

45°F or colder where the rule applies.

“Eggs must be refrigerated at or below 45°”

The label must show

  • Name of egg packer
  • Address of egg packer
  • Date eggs were packed
  • Grade

The carton label maker prints these lines with the federal safe handling statement.

Grading

Ungraded sales are allowed only in some cases.

The statute's grading, weight-class and carton-label rules bind dealers, and producers selling only their own hens' eggs are exempt from the whole chapter (§ 2-12-6). ADAI's farmers-market guidance nonetheless says market eggs must meet USDA grading and weight classes and carry a grade on the label. Alabama adopts USDA standards, grades and weight classes (Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-3-14-.03).

Washing

No washing method is set in the sources read. ADAI's farmers-market guidance says the carton or container and the eggs themselves must be sanitized and free from fecal matter and other farm filth.

Federal rules apply on top of Alabama's: the four federal egg rules. Pricing your dozen? The egg price calculator works it out from your feed bill.

Common questions

Do I need a license to sell eggs from my backyard chickens in Alabama?
Yes. Alabama's egg law doesn't apply to producers who sell only their own hens' eggs, so no state egg permit is needed. At farmers' markets, the state asks for labeled, refrigerated eggs. Small-flock line: no number: own hens' eggs only. The conditions, and the law they come from, are on this page.
Can I sell eggs at a farmers market in Alabama?
Allowed with conditions. ADAI's Farmers Market Authority treats eggs as agricultural commodities that may be sold at farmers markets with proper labeling: packer name and address, pack date and grade, refrigerated at or below 45°, clean eggs and containers, and USDA grades and weight classes. No egg permit is named. Alabama Cooperative Extension also describes a free Alabama growers permit, issued at county Extension offices, that markets may ask to see; check with the market manager. Also check with ADAI Food Safety Section (1-800-642-7761) and your county health department, before selling to stores or restaurants.
Can I reuse egg cartons in Alabama?
The sources we read do not say; ask the state agriculture department before reusing cartons for eggs you sell.
What has to be on the carton label in Alabama?
Name of egg packer, Address of egg packer, Date eggs were packed, Grade. The rule reads: "Information required: • Name of egg packer • Address of egg packer • Date eggs were packed • Grade" The federal safe handling statement applies as well; our carton label maker prints all of it.
Do eggs I sell in Alabama have to be refrigerated?
Yes, at 45°F or colder. The rule reads: "Eggs must be refrigerated at or below 45°"
Sources
Read the 22 passages this page is built on
What we couldn't confirm
  • Statute and agency guidance disagree for farmers markets: Code of Ala. § 2-12-6 exempts producers selling only their own hens' eggs from the whole egg chapter, with no venue limit, but ADAI's Direct Market Guidelines brochure (PDF dated 2018/2019) says only on-farm sales are outside the Shell Egg Law and asks for grade labels and USDA grades at farmers markets. The record reports both; it does not resolve which ADAI enforces.
  • Retail/restaurant channel: no ADAI or ADPH statement was found on whether an exempt small producer is an approved source for stores or restaurants; ADAI's wholesale permit form (selling to a retailer = wholesaler) reads more broadly than the statute's producer exemption. Verdict left unknown.
  • The Alabama growers permit is described only on an Alabama Cooperative Extension page (aces.edu, January 2022); the statute behind it and whether markets must require it were not confirmed on an official site.
  • ALISON shows no effective or supersession date on Title 2, Chapter 12 sections; history lines show the last amendments in 1975 (Acts 1975, No. 342). The ALISON bill search for 2024–2026 egg bills was not run (JavaScript app); a web search found none.
  • The FMA brochure links a Shell_Eggs.pdf at fma.alabama.gov that now returns 404; the same rules text is on ADAI's Food Safety site and matches Ala. Admin. Code ch. 80-3-14.
  • No temperature rule for exempt producers appears in the statute; the 45° figure is ADAI farmers-market guidance. Ala. Admin. Code r. 80-3-14-.03 mentions 60°F only for retail egg dealers' grade presumption.

Selling across the state line?

The rules change at the border. Here's where Alabama's neighbors draw the line.

ALAKAZARCACOCTDEFLGAHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNJNMNYNCNDOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVTVAWAWVWIWY
No license for small salesDepends how you sellRegistration or licenseNot stated or rechecking

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Legal in your state? Then keep the books.

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